Dr. Carlson attended SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine, then completed internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Washington, where he was elected fellows’ representative. Dr. Carlson enjoys practicing all aspects of gastroenterology, and has particular interests in therapeutic endoscopy and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Carlson believes that people need to be able to trust their healthcare providers, and strives to help patients understand their medical issues and to know what to expect with any proposed interventions. He combines an investigative approach to patient care while staying current with new technology and guidelines.

Personal Interests

When he is not at the hospital, Dr. Carlson is likely hiking, fishing or spending time with his wife and three children

Medical School

SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine

Residency

University of Michigan

Fellowship(s)

University of Washington

Board Certifications

Gastroenterology

Professional Associations:

American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

People often fear the worst about constipation. Constipation is very common and only rarely signifies something serious. Just because the average person has a bowel movement daily doesn’t mean you have to—if normal for you is every 3, 5, or 7 days that is okay so long as it’s not adversely affecting your life. In many cases, people with constipation struggle with it all their lives and are looking to be certain nothing more serious is going on and for a way to treat their symptoms. Even in people with relatively new onset of constipation, there usually is a simple solution. It is certainly reasonable to have your constipation assessed but in the absence of other warning signs for more serious disease, additional testing related to constipation is not always essential.

What are the causes of constipation?

Colonic inertia

Most cases of constipation are caused by colonic inertia, which is simply a slow moving colon. Different people are made differently, and the muscles and nerves that are supposed to act in concert to push stool along just work a little slower in people with constipation. In such cases, if we could look at the colon under the microscope it would look normal but if we took an x-ray of how quickly it pushed stool through, it would on average move things along more slowly.